The most effective way to remove many parasites, such as the tick, from animals is to grasp the parasite and pull it free. It has also been found that by rotating the tick smoothly, it is more easily dislodged from the host animal. For this purpose, there is a need for an instrument which can effectively be operated with one hand while the other hand of the operator is used to restrain the host animal and to part the fur and manipulate the skin surrounding the parasite. The instrument should also be effective to turn the parasite, causing it to release its grip on the host animal with a minimal amount of damage to the parasite and, hence, to the host animal.